We often write posts regarding potential products liability lawsuits that could be filed as a result of a defective product inflicting injury on someone using it. This week we have information on a jury verdict recently handed down by a Pennsylvania jury. The defective product at the heart of the case was 2006 Toyota Sienna.
Six individuals were reportedly in the vehicle, which was rented from a car-share service, when a component to the vehicle failed, leading to an accident. That defective auto component was the ball joint. Its failure resulted in the minivan rolling over and falling into a ravine.
The incident caused injuries to those involved including the woman who was driving. She suffered a variety of injuries including a temporal fracture and contusions to her heart and lung. Her injuries resulted in the inability of the woman to use one of her arms. It also apparently made it impossible for her to continue on in her profession as a family physician.
The lawsuit asserted that the defendant, Central City Toyota, was negligent due to multiple things including the following:
- Product defects
- Product failures
- Concealing the product defects and failures
- Failing to warn of the defects and problems
The jury awarded the plaintiffs a total of $25 million. Of that amount, the woman who was driving received $11.4 million. The five other plaintiffs received the remaining $4.3 million. The money will of course never undo the harm that was done in the accident. It may however make the lives of all involved in the incident a bit easier moving forward.
Source: The Pennsylvania Record, "Philly jury awards $15 million to plaintiff in products liability case against Toyota," Jon Campisi, April 5, 2013